The Walk Part One

Wow.

On Friday the 15th, I took a bus to Boston. Moll met me at South Station and we dropped off my gear at Amy's house. We had fun for a bit trying on Amy's many lip glosses, swigging vodka from her freezer, eating her yogurt and farting on her bed. Just kidding about that last part. But you know, when you have the keys to your big sister's apt. you just have to take advantage.  We stole a few packs of gum and hit the pavement. Which, in hindsight, was sort of stupid because I was going to be walking 26 miles the next day. But hey, when in Rome...So Molly and I and her hilarious roomies, Val and Moll's adorable boyfriend Noah, hung out. We got frozen yogurt at Berryline in Cambridge, amazing stuff. Then, when My feet were already good and sore, we met Amy at some Mediterranean restaurant and got an enormous platter of delectable goodies, mishis, hommos, dips, pita, tabouleh etc. Amy later mentioned that Molly and I ate so quickly and  piggishly that the only thing stopping her from vomiting was that we actually used our forks. We were hungry, I guess. After that meal I was full and yet we had to stop at this ice cream place that has the most interesting flavors. Ever heard of grape nut flavor? Nope? So good. Ice cream that manages to be chewy.  Or burnt caramel. Yum. Finishing that cone was work. Then I went to bed and woke up at 4 am. A cab at 4 am is eerie, in a good way. My driver went through all the lights. I sat in the clean cab and my mouth opened and I said," Wow, your cab smells good." And I don't understand what he said back to me. I got a ride to the Plaza and then took a shuttle to U.Mass Boston. Once there, I dropped my bag off and got breakfast ( banana, coffee, cereal bar juice). The sun was coming up over the water. People were milling about. I felt, tired, excited and sort of lonely. I thought of Rose and the irony of me being there without her. She is the kind of person/friend who would have done this with me. And, here I am, alone and doing this for her and wishing she could do it with me, in the flesh. I  put my sunglasses on and cried. Oh, and my feet were sore. 

I took a lot of group photos for people . And I took a few of myself. We stood together, and warmed up as one large group. We held hands. We listened to some personal stories and then we were off. My feet were already sore and I felt a bit silly about that. We walked along the water and I recognized Southie , where Amy used to live. Then we turned and walked over a bridge. I remember passing the Barking Crab, a seafood joint where I last saw Rose (in Boston). I wore her ashes on a chain around my neck. I held them as we passed the restaurant sign. 

 It was exhilarating, walking around in the sunlight, part of this big group. People were stopping and smiling, cheering us on. We had frequent rest stops that were equipped with snacks and other essentials. Occasionally I would casually say something to someone or vice versa, but mostly it was a quiet walk for me. I remember walking towards the urban scape in the morning and by days end, we were in the countryside. ..

More soon. With pictures.